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Own Up to Your Mistakes: Meaning, Examples, and How to Use It at Work
- Erin West
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 16
Learn Business English phrases with our Phrase of the Week!
Each week, we introduce a new phrase to help you sound more natural and confident in your professional communication.
For extra practice, you can download the flashcards—just scroll down to the bottom of the page.
This Week's Phrase:
OWN UP TO YOUR MISTAKES
phrase
to admit that you did something wrong and take responsibility for it
It's important to own up to your mistakes and find a way to fix them.
Owning up to your mistakes shows professionalism and maturity.
OWN UP TO something/ doing something
phrasal verb
to tell the truth about something wrong you did
They owned up to breaking the rules.
She owned up to losing the keys.
It took him a while but he finally owned up to his actions.
Listen to the phrase, definition, and example sentences below. Click on each picture to hear the audio.
Learn more Business English phrases with mistakes
Let’s take a look at more Business English expressions with mistakes.
Choose the correct option to complete the sentence.
KEY
A COSTLY MISTAKE
a mistake that causes a lot of money and trouble
Forgetting to lock the shop was a costly mistake.
He made a costly mistake when he deleted all his files by accident.
Printing the wrong phone number on the flyers was a costly mistake for the business.
REALIZE one's MISTAKE
to understand or notice that you made a mistake
I realized my mistake too late, the email had already been sent.
We realized our mistake when we arrived at the wrong hotel.
He realized his mistake and apologized to everyone.
BLAME someone FOR THE MISTAKE
to say that someone else is responsible for the mistake
Don’t blame me for the mistake. It wasn’t my fault!
She blamed her coworker for the mistake in the report.
Instead of blaming others for the mistake, we should fix it.
LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES
to understand what you did wrong so you can do better next time
Instead of blaming others, it’s better to learn from your mistakes and figure out how to avoid them in the future.
After the failure, we took the time to learn from our mistakes.
The best leaders are those who learn from their mistakes.
COVER UP one's MISTAKE
to hide a mistake so that no one knows about it
He tried to cover up his mistake, but his boss found out.
Covering up your mistake often makes things worse.
Instead of covering up his mistake, he admitted it and fixed the problem.
Let's Chat!
Have you ever made a costly mistake at work?
Yes, unfortunately. I forgot to save an important document, and it got deleted. I had to do all the work again. That was a disaster! It took so much time! It was a costly mistake, and now I always make sure to save my files before turning off my laptop. (Arkady, B1-level learner)
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve learned from in your career?
I think I didn't ask for help when I needed it. This was my biggest mistake. I tried to do everything alone. Now I know that it is ok to ask for help. So, I've learned from my mistake. (Olga, A2/B1-level learner)
How do you feel when someone refuses to own up to their mistakes at work?
It’s incredibly frustrating when someone refuses to own up to their mistakes. I believe it undermines trust. I know, mistakes are inevitable, but taking responsibility for them is very very important. When someone avoids responsibility, it always leads to so much time wasted! (Paulo, C1-level learner)
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